Half term in October – what a great excuse to get away for some spectacular weather somewhere not too far away. My son, his girlfriend and I (the green and hairy gooseberry) have just spent four wonderful days at the Hotel Vincci Estrella Del Mar in Marbella. I was really impressed with the hotel – it’s got a very cool vibe about it and the staff could not have been more accommodating. Lots of running water, green plants and open, light spaces with spacious rooms and great bathrooms. They have lots of rooms that have a sea view, but I went for the cheaper pool view rooms given I had to pay for two and was not at all disappointed. The pools are all lovely to look at and my room opened up on to a terrace that gave me direct access to the lower pool.
The weather was perfect. Warm enough to sunbathe and even swim (if you wanted to have an immediate heart attack) with clear blue skies and a hazy sun for the entire time we were there. I know they need rain, but sorry, selfishly, I wanted to do a lot of reading by the pool so was very happy. The young ones enjoyed time by the pool too, of course not reading, but looking at their phones all day, utilising their 7-8 second attention span to the max.
So you can see why they didn’t mind hanging out at the pool, not a bad location!
The hotel is in Elviria and only a short walk down to a splendid strip of beach, with lots of beach bar food and drink options. They also offer a pool beach club for hotel guests, but we didn’t feel it was as appealing as either being on the beach or going back to the hotel pools (they have three different ones at different levels).
So a couple of lazy days, just recharging batteries with the massive assistance of some of the best gin and tonics I have ever had. Large bowl shaped glasses and big chunks of ice and very generous portions of gin merge to make a winning combination:-
The look of the hotel reminds me of the new part of the Tate Modern – lots of long thin bricks, designed around long corridors that were open and spacious – mostly with views. This was my room:-
My bathroom was huge:-
My breakfast – which invariably I ate alone as it was too early for teenagers:-
Which was not a problem with my choice of reading material:-
The hotel bar space – bearing in mind it was not peak season!
My only criticism would be the design of the reception area and also the outfits the girls behind the very high, not very welcoming wall they stand behind. They shouldn’t be wearing scarves and mustard colour cardigans – it’s not in keeping with the style of the hotel and I think that space should be looked at. But THAT’S IT. Apart from that, which was merely an observation, it was a great hotel and I would highly recommend it.
